Closure assembly for sea chests



July 4, 1967 J. ULRICH ETAL 3,329,121

CLOSURE ASSEMBLY FOR SEA CHESTS Filed March 30, 1966 I2 I6 30 IO g 34 2242 4 C 0 32 28 s INVENTORS JOHN L. ULRICH CARRELL 8. MC NULTY ATTORNEYUnited States Patent 3,329,121 CLOSURE ASSEMBLY FOR SEA CHESTS John L.Ulrich, Somerdale, N.J., and Carrell S. McNulty, New Britain, Pa.,assignors to the United States of America as represented by theSecretary of the Navy Filed Mar. 30, 1966, Ser. No. 538,934 5 Claims.(Cl. 114-227) This invention relates to apparatus for closing openingsand is concerned particularly with closing such openings which exist inwater-borne vessels.

Numerous procedures are known in the prior art for closing openings inthe hulls of water-borne vessels but in general these procedures are forthe purpose of temporarily repairing openings caused by damage to thevessel and to provide a greater degree of sea worthiness. Usually theprocedures employed to close the openings and limit the entry of seawater are concerned with the use of matting or fibrous material ofsuflicient size to fill the opening or utilize a flexible balloon-likestructure which when inflated will close an opening.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide anarrangement of cooperating or complemental structural elements which arefixedly secured to the hull of a vessel in a manner to embrace anopening and provide a seal tight closure therefor.

Another object is to provide an inner sealing frame which is arrangedfor securement to the hull of a vessel in a manner to embrace an openingin the vessel hull and a complemental outer cover which is secured tothe frame and closes the frame opening.

Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention willbecome apparent from the following detailed description of the inventionwhen considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a view in elevation showing a portion of the closureassembly applied to the hull of a waterborne vessel.

FIGURE 2 is a horizontal section of the complete closure assemblyapplied to the hull of a water-borne vessel.

In FIGURE 1, the hull is indicated at 10, and the opening therein isindicated at 12, and represents a sea chest opening for the purpose ofthis description, although any opening in the hull of a vessel may beclosed by the assembly of this invention as will be apparent as thedescription proceeds.

In FIGURE 2, the sea chest opening 12 will be understood to be locatedbelow the water line and communicates with a conduit 14 which extends tothe interior of the hull 12 and, although not shown, will containpumping and other equipment for the distribution of sea water to theinterior of the vessel. A sea chest opening of a vessel is usuallyequipped with barrier elements in the form of strips to prevent theadmission of debris and these are indicated at 16 and are shown fixedlymounted to the hull to extend across the sea chest opening 12. Theelements 16 are used as attachment means to secure the closure assemblyof the invention to the hull structure in position about the opt ning 12and in the event that an opening which is to be closed is not providedwith such securing means, it will be necessary to attach metal strips orother metal elements to the hull in order to utilize the invention.

The closure assembly has an open frame 18 formed of a continuousperipheral edge and providing an enclosed space. As shown in FIGURE 1the frame is rectangular and formed of opposed top and botom walls 20and 22, respectively, and opposed side walls 24 and 26. Braces 28 areprovided between opposed walls and as shown are fixed to the upper andlower walls and extend verticall in order to permit ready securement tothe barrier elements 16 which are shown horizontally. To this end thebraces are provided with spaced apertures through which extendconnectors or clamps in the form of J-bolts 30, as shown in FIGURE 2.The J-bolts 30 have a rear adjusting end carried by the braces 28 and afront clamping end which function to receive the attachment elements 16,and the adjusting end of the J-bolts is provided with nuts 32. Duringassembly of the frame 18 with the hull 10, continuous sealing means,which is preferably in the form of an inflatable endless ring 34, may bemanipulated between the hull 10 and the peripheral wall of frame 18 orthe inner face of the peripheral wall may have an endless sealing meansaffixed thereto. In either case the sealing means will be clamped inposition against the hull 10 when the connectors or J-bolts aretightened between the barrier strips 16 and the braces 28.

After the frame 18 is assembled with the hull 10, a cover 36 is thensecured to the frame. The cover 36 is formed of a solid imperforate rearwall 38 having an inwardly extending continuous side wall portion 40which provides a continuous flange 42. The rear wall 38 of cover 36 willbe of sufiicient dimensions to embrace the enclosed space formed by theframe peripheral walls and the flange 42 of the cover is secured to theperipheral walls of the frame by bolts and nut assemblies 44. For thepurpose of securing the flange 42 to the frame structure drills 46 areprovided in the frame peripheral walls and mating drills will beprovided in the flange 42. In order to complete the seal, a gasket 46 islocated between the peripheral walls of frame 18 and the continuousflange 42.

When the closure assembly is used to temporarily close an opening in thehull of a vessel, it is contemplated that the frame and cover elementswill be formed of a light weight metal, such as, aluminum.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention arepossible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to beunderstood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the inventionmay be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

We claim:

1. A closure assembly for sealing an opening in the hull of a vesselhaving metal attachment means secured to the hull and extending acrossthe opening which comprises,

(a) a frame having continuous peripheral wall structure forming an innerspace,

(b) said inner space being of a size and shape sufiicient to enclose theopening in the hull,

(c) brace structure secured to the peripheral wall structure of theframe and extending across the inner space,

(d) connector means having an adjusting end carried by said bracestructure and an attaching end for receiving said metal attachmentmeans,

(e) a cover having a continuous peripheral outer flange and an innerimperforate section,

(f) said outer flange of the cover generally mating the continuousperipheral flange of the frame and said inner imperforate section of thecover generally mating the inner space of the frame,

(g) means for securing the peripheral flange of the cover to theperipheral wall of said frame and (h) said adjusting end of theconnector means being manipulable to clamp the metal attachment meansand the brace means whereby the peripheral wall of the frame is securedin contact with the hull.

2. A closure assembly as set forth in claim 1, further enaracterized by,s

(a) a continuous sealing means positioned between the hull of the vesseland the peripheral wall of the frame.

3. A closure assembly as set forth in claim 1, further characterized by,

(a) an endless infi atable sealing means positioned between the hull ofthe vessel and the peripheral wall of the frame.

4. A closure assembly as set forth in claim 1, further characterized by,

(a) the connector means consisting of bolt means having a clamping endfor receiving the metal attachment means with a cooperating nut at theadjusting end and being located within said inner space.

5. A closure assembly as set forth in claim 1, further characterized by,

(a) said cover having its outer continuous peripheral flange and innerimperforate section disposed in dififerent arallel planes andinterconnected by a continuous side wall.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,220,085 1/1940 Dirschel 114-2273,094,964 6/1963 Witten et a1. 114-227 MILTON BUCHLER, Primary Examiner.

A. H. FARRELL, Examiner.

1. A CLOSURE ASSEMBLY FOR SEALING AN OPENING IN THE HULL OF A VESSELHAVING METAL ATTACHMENT MEANS SECURED TO THE HULL AND EXTENDING ACROSSTHE OPENING WHICH COMPRISES, (A) A FRAME HAVING CONTINUOUS PERIPHERALWALL STRUCTURE FORMING AN INNER SPACE, (B) SAID INNER SPACE BEING OF ASIZE AND SHAPE SUFFICIENT TO ENCLOSE THE OPENING IN THE HULL, (C) BRACESTRUCTURE SECURED TO THE PERIPHERAL WALL STRUCTURE OF THE FRAME ANDEXTENDING ACROSS THE INNER SPACE, (D) CONNECTOR MEANS HAVING ANADJUSTING END CARRIED BY SAID BRACE STRUCTURE AND AN ATTACHING END FORRECEIVING SAID METAL ATTACHMENT MEANS, (E) A COVER HAVING A CONTINUOUSPERIPHERIAL OUTER FLANGE AND AN INNER IMPERFORATE SECTION, (F) SAIDOUTER FLANGE OF THE COVER GENERALLY MATING THE CONTINUOUS PERIPHERALFLANGE OF THE FRAME AND SAID INNER IMPERFORATE SECTION OF THE COVERGENERALLY MATING THE INNER SPACE OF THE FRAME, (G) MEANS FOR SECURINGTHE PERIPHERAL FLANGE OF THE COVER TO THE PERIPHERAL WALL OF SAID FRAMEAND (H) SAID ADJUSTING END OF THE CONNECTOR MEANS BEING MANIPULABLE TOCLAMP THE METAL ATTACHMENT MEANS AND THE BRACE MEANS WHEREBY THEPERIPHERAL WALL OF THE FRAME IS SECURED IN CONTACT WITH THE HULL.